Limassol Municipality Sports Office – Press Conference

Aiming at contributing to citizens’ life quality and well-being by encouraging them to develop a sporting habit for life, the Limassol Municipality established a Sports Office a few months ago.
 
During the press conference held, the Mayor of Limassol, Nicos Nicolaides, stated that the Municipality, acting in pursuit of the above objective, proceeded to set up the Sports Office, with the support of the CSO and the two Limassolian champions in swimming and track and field respectively, Maria Papadopoulou and Yiannis Zisimides.
 
He further mentioned that the Limassol Municipality Sports Office plays a significant role in the Municipality’s sports-related plans drafted, such as the upgrade of the GSO and the creation of a sports museum, the promotion of sports for everyone in neighbourhood parks, which will be properly upgraded with the use of funds by the CSO, the upgrade of the “Aetos” and the “Anagennisi” stadiums, as well as the drawing up of a proposal for the CSO on the creation of an Olympic swimming pool in Ayia Fyla.
 
“We believe that the necessary prerequisites for producing work are specialisation and decentralisation”, said Mr Nicolaides, adding that “the best proof of this is the successful operation of the Limassol Municipality Sports Office”.

On his side, the chairman of the Youth and Sports Committee of the Municipality, Loizos Mavroudes, referred to Limassol as a “town of sportsmen and sportswomen”, while he pointed out that it would be extremely difficult for the Municipality to cope with all sporting requirements and activities without the establishment of a Sports Office.
 
Thanking CSO for the cooperation as well as the two champions who took over the Municipality Sports Office, Loizos Mavroudes invited Maria Papadopoulou and Yiannis Zisimides to pave the way to a healthier lifestyle through exercise.
 
The five main pillars of the Limassol Municipality Sports Office were mentioned by Maria Papadoulou. These relate to the encouragement of the citizens for a healthier lifestyle, the creation of sporting events, the close cooperation with schools, the creation of educational and training seminars on health and exercise and the promotion of sporting activities for children with special educational and physical needs.
 
"Having as a vision to spread the values of Fair Play in the full spectrum of our actions and promote the health benefits of exercise, we aim to encourage people and especially children to participate in sports as a normal daily activity”, she added.  
 
Yiannis Zisimides added that the aim is to promote sports and exercise through Education and involve children and citizens in new local and international sporting events of the office.
 
He stressed that the Sports Office is already preparing for the first sporting event titled “Limassol Sports Festival”, which will take place along the Multifunctional Seafront Park on 19 May 2019 and will include 23 sports, the AGO (Sports For All) programs and several licensed gyms of Limassol.  

Among other things, Mr Zisimides reminded the public that the Limassol Municipality Sports Office organised, in the past two months, a series of lectures in 11 high and junior high schools in Limassol, on the topic: “Exercise in Gyms and the Appropriate Use of Nutritional Supplements and Substances – Drugs”.
 
Furthermore, as indicated, the Limassol Municipality Sports Office is planning to contact athletes - role models of our city, who could actively contribute to the promotion of sports. The famous tennis player, Markos Baghdatis has already expressed his intention to participate in this effort.